


Roommates

by Septiplier (YaoiWolfGirl)



Category: JackSepticEye (YouTube RPF), Markiplier (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Alcohol, Alternate Universe - College/University, Implied/Referenced Sex, M/M, Markiplier - Freeform, Sexual Content, Swearing, Violence, jacksepticeye - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-21
Updated: 2015-11-28
Packaged: 2018-05-02 15:29:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 20,431
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5253494
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YaoiWolfGirl/pseuds/Septiplier
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Mark meets his college roommate, Jack, things do not go well. They bicker and banter about everything, and absolutely loathe each other. Jack has no respect for Mark's personal things, and constantly brings guys back from drunken nights out at parties. But as time goes by, Mark begins to see that they actually have more in common than he originally thought and attempts to make things right. But what effect will it have on the two young men?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Bad Habits

**Author's Note:**

> Hey. This is my first Septiplier story. I was not planning to get into this fandom, but ...yeah. It happened. Haha. But anyways, this was just a prompt I came up with. If you want, you could use the prompt as well to make your own story!
> 
> Prompt: A and B become roommates in college and cannot stand each other at first until they find out they have a lot more in common than they first thought.
> 
> But anyways, I hope you enjoy!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mark meets his new roommate, Jack. Things do not go well.

Mark stared up at the male dormitory with his suitcase by his feet and a duffle bag on his right shoulder. He smiled and breathed in deeply eager to get to his room, unpack, and meet his roommate. He heard he wouldn't be there right away due to having to fly over from some other country. But that was fine. It would give Mark some time to settle in and set up his things.

He grabbed his things, headed into the building and went up a flight of stairs, looking for room B26. Once he got to it he was confused as he could hear someone inside already. With a frown he used his room key and went inside. The sight that greeted him was, well, a terrible one to say the least.

Inside the room there was another man, about his age, who was moving around unpacking things in an un-orderly fashion. He was about an inch or two shorter than Mark, with short brown hair that had a bit of grey in it, and he was wearing a metal band t-shirt and skinny jeans. But that's not what bothered him. What bothered him was that he was blasting deafening metal music, and had clothes and nick-nacks strewn about the room already.

His frowned deepened as he called out, trying to get his attention; "Hey! Excuse me?!"

The other guy didn't hear him and was too busy to notice Mark standing there as he continued to make a mess of things. So he did the only other thing he could think of. He went in and shut off the blaring music that was on the stereo.

"The fuck?" The other man had noticed his music shut off and turned around. "What're ya doin' shuttin' my music off?"

Mark sighed; "I was trying to get your attention, but you couldn't hear me." The man stared at him with piercing blue eyes.

"Oh. Well what do ya want?"

"I think you might have the wrong room," Mark explained, "I'm not supposed to have my roommate until this weekend."

The other man grinned, "Nah, I'm in the right one. Trust me," he held up his room key, "See? This is my room."

Sure enough, the room number on the room key was B26. Mark frowned a bit confused.

"I thought you weren't supposed to show for a week?"

"Yeah, well, I got an early flight here. Lucky me!" The man rolled his eyes before he remembered something, "Oh! I'm Jack by the way!"

Mark looked at him as he held out a hand, and he shook it, "Mark."

"Well, it's nice ta meet ya, Mark!" Jack practically yelled with enthusiasm.

Mark smiled a bit and nodded. Yeah. Super. He'd been hoping to settle in on his own before having to deal with a roommate so that way he could get comfortable first. Not that he hated that Jack was here, he just wasn't prepared to have a roommate already. Especially one that was messy and played loud ass music.

He got to unpacking his own stuff and putting it away on his side of the room (since Jack seemed to pick his already). He sighed as he did so, and just hoped that this would all go okay.

 

* * *

 

It did not go okay.

After only one week, Jack had gotten on every nerve that Mark has in his entire body. He blared his music way too loud for Mark to study, he touched all of Mark's things as if they were his, and he also left empty soda bottles, food containers, and clothes  _everywhere!_

If there were things Mark hated, it was all the things that were Jack's habits. The guy had no respect for personal space either. If Mark was on the sofa, he would come over and lay down putting his feet right in Mark's lap without asking if it was okay. He also tried to poke his nose into his business all the time.

There was one time when Mark had been private messaging someone, and had gone to the bathroom. He came back to Jack reading the messages and even _answering_  back to the person he was talking to. Mark had yelled at him, and the other just laughed and said it was a joke.

But joke or not, it still pissed Mark off. He told him, and Jack instantly got hotheaded and retaliated by calling Mark a whiny bitch and storming out of the room.

But that wasn't the last of it either. It kept happening over and over. Each time Mark got pissed at Jack for doing something, and then Jack got pissed at him complaining so much. It continued to go back and forth between them that way, and Mark was soon discovering that he really hated having Jack as a roommate.

So he went to the council office to see if they could switch him.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Fischbach, but we can't switch you roommates," the elderly woman told him, "there is just no one else requesting a switch."

He sighed. "It's alright, thanks anyways ma'am." He smiled and left the office but he wasn't happy in the slightest. Quite the opposite in fact, as he was heading to his next class. Computer science.

Now usually, he loved this class. But recently Jack transferred into it, and ever since the guy has done all he can to irritate Mark. The one time he played a 'prank' on him by attaching a string to his chair. As Mark went to sit down, Jack pulled the chair from under him, and he went down flat on his ass.

Everyone had laughed, causing Mark to flush with embarrassment. It was so fucking _childish!_ Just because Mark didn't like the habits he had, didn't mean he had to to go so low as to embarrass him in front of others. But he'd just glared at the Irishman and righted himself to get to work.

But it wasn't all bad. There were times when Mark would get peace and quiet. When Jack himself would be working or studying too much to actually cause disturbance to him, he could actually relax and not worry about his boisterous roommate. It was almost like heaven.

Other times he would go hang out with his friends Bob and Wade that he'd met in a couple other classes he had. They were good pals that he could laugh and have fun with, even while studying. Don't get him wrong, Jack was funny and did make him laugh, but there was just so much that he did that upset Mark. He wasn't sure they'd be able to truly get along. There was just nothing in common between them.

But what Mark didn't know, was that he couldn't have been more wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope this went well. I am attempting to make this muli-chaptered haha. Idk if I did good with this or not, so let me know. Kudos and comments are appreciated, just don't be rude!
> 
> Thank you! :)


	2. From Bad, To Worse

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mark walks in on Jack and some guy, and a fight ensues.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My second chapter. I am really excited about this fic! I hope you all are enjoying it so far!  
> I will attempt as many chapters I can a day haha. At least 2!  
> They will also variate in length, but never too short lol.

As time went on, things did not seem to get better for the two. Mark kept getting frustrated with Jack's bad habits, and Jack continued to retaliate whenever bitched at by Mark about them. Neither one could stand to be in the same room as the other for more than 10 minutes before they'd begin fighting.

So, Mark decided that he'd study in the library for the peace and quiet that he wanted to avoid the unnecessary conflict. If Jack would just  _see_ why he got so upset with him, there would be no problem. But the Irishman acted as though what he did was normal and didn't need to apologize or explain his actions. Which is why Mark just decided to give up on getting through to the stubborn younger man, and just decided to avoid him.

It seemed to be working out fine for the two. Mark would be away from Jack's antics, and Jack wouldn't have someone complaining about every little thing he seemed to do. And whenever Mark would return from the library from a late night of studying, Jack was usually asleep. It was a win-win situation.

Well, sort of anyways. While Mark is away studying, there is no telling what Jack does in their room. But he knows that he gets into his personal things. How? Well when Mark comes back to his drawers or bags open when he's been gone all day, or his things move around or missing, he tends to notice.

And today was that very type of day that he came back to. He had very little studying or work that day, so he came back around 6:15pm to their dorm room. And what had he found out? That Jack had gone through his shit, yet again, and took his phone charger. He sighed, annoyed.

He walked around their dorm trying to find his charger. He finally found it laying on a table in their dorms living area by the sofa. When he looked at it, he was furious. The charger cord was broken. Completely ripped from the plug in part.

Where the  _fuck_ was Jack?

He stormed into the bedroom they (sadly) shared and found Jack on his bed fiddling on his own phone. With his own charger plugged into it.

"Would you mind explaining something to me?" Mark asked.

"Jesus, what?" Jack looked up at him boredly.

Mark glared. "Exactly how did my charger end up broken? It was inside my bag, by my desk."

Jack bit his lip and sat up. He seemed a bit guilty, and Mark almost let his anger subside. But then, "I don't know what you're talkin' about."

"Like hell you don't know!" He raged at the Irishman. "You're the only one in this room when I am gone. So do  _not_ play this bullshit with me!"

Jack got up and glared at the slightly taller man. "Oh what? Just because you found your charger broken, it means I automatically did it?"

"Yes!" Mark yelled, "You are always getting into my shit instead of respecting my privacy and personal items!"

"Boo-fucking-hoo! What is bitching about it gonna solve?"

"Hopefully make you realize that I don't want you getting into my shit!"

Jack and Mark glared at each other for what seemed like a long while. Then, Jack shook his head, "For fucks sake. I'm sorry, alright?!"

Mark stood there a bit stunned. That was the first time Jack had ever apologized for something. Jack frowned when the other just stood there.

"I'm sorry fer breakin' yer charger," he admitted, "I couldn't find mine, so I used it. I forgot it was still plugged in when I pulled my phone away to go somewhere and it broke."

Mark hadn't been expecting an apology or explanation. But he nodded, grateful for it, and said; "Thank you. I appreciate your honesty. Just ask next time, alright?"

"Alright, alright," Jack looked down, hands in pockets, as he scuffed his shoe on the floor. "I'ma go now."

And with that, Jack left for one of his "cool-down walks" as he called them. Mark sighed, threw his now ruined charger out, and then went to his room to relax and get on his laptop to play some video games. He hoped tomorrow would be a better day.

 

* * *

 

It actually was a good day. He was greeted with a sleepy "toppa the mornin'" from Jack as he got himself some cereal for breakfast. Mark nodded from where he sat on the sofa eating his own cereal already. They even had a nice conversation that morning before they had to head out to their classes.

All the classes went smoothly for Mark, and Jack even left him alone during computer science class. No stupid pranks, jokes or teasing. The only downside to the day was he found out about a test coming up the next day that he hadn't heard about the day before. Which meant he had one night of cramming in studies to be ready for it.

 _God damn!_ Just when he thought he caught a break.

After that class he had a free period with his friend Wade and they were walking around chatting it up.

"So how are things going with that roommate of yours?" His friend asked.

"Uh, well he broke my phone charger the other day."

"Are you freaking serious?"

Mark nodded. "Yeah, but uh, he admitted to it and apologized," he explained, "and he told me what happened, it had been accidental."

"Even so, man, I'd still be pissed," Wade said, "If someone took something of mine and broke it, I wouldn't easily forgive them."

Mark nodded slowly, but he couldn't seem to be mad at Jack. The look of guilt he'd seen on his face, before he tried to deny doing it, had pretty much put out the anger he'd felt. And once Jack apologized, that look he had on his face as he stared at his shoes made Mark feel bad. He knew it shouldn't have, but it did. At least Jack was honest and sorry in the end. He's sure that's what made his anger dissipate the most, it had to of been.

Suddenly, a voice called out from where the picnic tables were.

"Attention everyone!"

Mark and Wade looked over to see a blonde haired guy standing on the table, hands in the air with flyers.

"What the?" Mark questioned, and Wade just shrugged. The guy began to speak once more.

"There is going to be a party at my house, and it's  _tonight!"_ The guy shouted and everyone cheered. "Take a flyer if you want to come, address and shit is all there!"

Wade grinned and walked up getting a flyer from the man as he started handing them out. He came back to where Mark stood and showed it to him.

"Guys name is Felix, he's one of the popular guys in town," Wade said, pointing to the flyer, "Food and alcohol! Dude, we should go."

Mark smiled a bit and shook his head, "Man, wish I could but I got a test tomorrow that I gotta cram for."

"Aw c'mon, Mark. One test isn't gonna ruin your grade."

"Sorry, Wade. I'll go next time, alright?" He said smiling. He watched his friend for a few second, before he finally nodded.

"Alright. I'm holding you to that!" Wade insisted.

Mark chuckled, "Heh, no worries I'd never break a promise."

And with that the periods changed and Mark had to say goodbye to his friend to move onto the next class. The rest of the day went on decent, and after his classes were finished he gathered up his things and headed for the library. Even though Jack surprised him with an apology yesterday, he still wouldn't dare try to study in the same room as him. He just hoped things would be alright once he would get back to their dorm that night.

 

* * *

 

However, that night Mark returned to the dorm he shared with Jack hadn't been a good one.

It was around 1:20am when he finally walked in through the door. He was tired. No, that didn't even begin to cover how he felt. He was  _exhausted._ He just wanted to fall into his bed and pass out. He tiredly put his things by his desk at the wall, not bothering to put them away as he'd be needing them tomorrow. In his half-asleep mind, he somehow found his way to the room he shared with the Irishman.

He walked in and froze. That was  _not_ something he wanted to see. But it  _definitely_ woke him up.

There on the floor was Jack, mostly naked. But that's not all.

On Jack's bed sat a man with brown hair and a burly beard, hand in the younger mans hair, as he sucked him off. Mark instantly flushed from embarrassment and anger.

"What the absolute  _hell_ is going on here?!" He exclaimed.

The two men at Jack's bed pulled apart, shocked, as they'd just now noticed Mark had entered the room. Jack's face was red, and the other guy seemed a bit upset about the interruption.

"Mark! Seriously, dude? Why are you here?!" Jack demanded.

"Uh, because I fucking live in this dorm," he retorted, "and I do not appreciate you bringing guys back to fuck. That's very disrespectful!"

The guy in question, who Mark recognized as a man named Ken, saw that he wasn't gonna be getting anymore action for the night and got up to leave.

"Uh, yeah. I'm gonna go now, Jackaboy," he told the shorter man, "Call me when you wanna hook up again." He winked and then left their dorm.

Jack groaned covering his face with his hands, "Yer a fuckin' arse!" Mark could hear the Irish accent come out thicker, even when muffled by Jack's hands.

Mark frowned, "Well pardon me, but I don't bring people home to fuck'em knowing that you could show up any minute."

Jack glared at him then, "And what was that comment earlier? Huh?!" Mark stared confused. "You got a problem with gays or somethin'?!"

At that, Mark's eyes widened and he quickly raised his hands. "N-no, you got it wrong. I don't care who you date, just don't bring them here to fuck, that's all!"

"And where else am I to take'em?" Jack hollered. Mark caught a whiff of something. Alcohol? That's right, Felix's party. That's where Jack must've been.

"I don't know, but bringing them here is rude without giving me a forewarning!" He glared then, "Especially when you've been drinking!"

"You can't tell me what I can and can't do! So what if I'd been drinkin'?" He asked.

Mark frowned at that and shook his head, not wanting to see Jack do something he'd regret. Wait. Why? It's not like they're friends or anything.

"It's just not wise, okay? Sorry I mentioned the drinking. But as for bringing them here, warn me ahead of time so I don't walk in on another scene!"

"Fuck you! Ever heard of privacy?!"

"Ever think about the fact we  _share the bedroom?!"_

At that Jack shut his mouth. He stood there staring at Mark, still flushed. He frowned knowing the older man was right about that. He deserved to be warned ahead of time. Then that way, Mark won't walk in on anything he shouldn't see.

"Ah, yer right. I'm sorry fer bein' an arse to ya, Mark." He shook his head. "It's my own fault."

Mark was surprised for the second time right then. Jack was either trying not to be so rude anymore, or he was just having a mood swing from being buzzed. But he accepted the odd apology and nodded. He moved to start getting ready for bed.

"Alright, thank you. I'll do the same if I ever bring someone back."

He began to undress getting down to his boxers before pulling on a pair of pajama bottoms. He turns back and saw Jack looking at him, blushing. When the Irishman saw him looking, he hurriedly turned away to get into bed, still in jeans but no shirt.

"Er, night."

Mark frowned confused. Why had he been blushing? Maybe it was just the alcohol. "Yeah, night."

With that he climbed into his own bed and covered up, removing his glasses, and he quickly fell into a restful sleep. The last thought on his mind being;  _'Me and Jack have something in common after all'._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Second chapter done! I hope this is going well, please let me know what you guys think.  
> Kudos and comments are appreciated, just don't be rude!
> 
> Thank you! :)


	3. Change & Gratitude

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More days pass and Mark notices more similarities between them when he actually observes Jack. But it's not until Mark stops something from happening when things truly begin to get better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, just woke up and am getting straight to this. I was up late last night writing chap 2, so I'm a bit groggy but oh well haha. I must keep this going and finish it! I also am glad you all are enjoying it so far, thank you. :)
> 
> Trigger warning for implied almost non-con!

As the days passed by, Mark noticed more things that he had in common with his Irish roommate.

It was little things at first, like how they both enjoyed the same type of cereal and the way they enjoyed lounging about in pajamas on free days. Even things as simple as the way Jack let his scruff grow in until it got itchy before deciding to shave it back down. They weren't very big observations by any means, but they were still things that they had in common at the very least. It sort of made Mark happy to know they did have some, and it made him curious to know if they had anymore.

So he continued to observe Jack anytime he could. One thing he realized, a bit too slowly, was that Jack was as fascinated by computers as he was. How had he missed that? Why else would Jack have transferred to computer science? He was too good at the class to have just wanted one where he could dick around. Though there were times he did, hence the pranks he pulled on Mark, but his grades were always phenomenal so he has to like computers quite a bit.

The next thing he noticed was about a month and a half after they'd become roommates. The Irishman had been watching TV in the living area of their dorm, and whenever something funny happened in the show, which was one they both liked, he would laugh out in pure joy. It made Mark smile to know he wasn't the only one who laughed a lot at such a stupid show that was hardly funny to others. Jack's laugh also seemed to help with his smile.

Wait. What? No, it was probably just because he found it funny. Not because he liked hearing it.

Anyways, other than noticing they enjoyed the same TV show so much, he also found out that Jack took a very keen interest in video games. He came home from studies one day to find Jack in the living room playing GTA5 where he'd hooked it up to their TV from his computer. Mark had smiled at that and when he was finished putting his things away, he decided to go sit next to the younger man on the couch.

"Hey, I didn't know you liked video games?" He asked casually.

Jack grinned, "You kiddin'? I love'em! They're like, my life!"

Mark laughed at that and watched him play. Soon enough, they were using cheats and sticky bombs to blow shit up in hilarious ways. Jack just loved yelling out _"'ticky bomb!"_ each time he threw one onto the vehicle he was blowing up next. Mark found it very funny and cute the way he said it. Wait. _Cute?_ Maybe it was just because of the accent, he'd come to find it quite funny when Jack said certain things like  _car_ or even  _thirty_ since he pronounces them so weird. Thinking about it made Mark chuckle.

Jack looked at him, grinning. "What's got you so cheerful?"

"Ah, nothing. Your accent is just funny to listen to!" Mark couldn't hold in the laughter as he clutched his side looking at his roommate.

The Irishman's grin only got bigger. "Ah, well fer God's sake laddie, if it's so funny why don't ya just say so?" He let his accent exaggerate. It only caused Mark to laugh harder, doubling over with humor and pain.

Jack laughed with him and once they both calmed down they got back to their game. It felt nice to actually be able to hang out with his roommate and not fight. The only arguing they did was whose turn it was next, and who was the best at heists and stealing from stores. It was just silly little fighting and it felt good. Mark enjoyed every minute of their gaming session, and he hoped they could do this more often.

However, it wasn't as if those few similarities between the two of them just ended their fighting. Jack still had his side of the bedroom a mess and left dishes and bottles in the living area. The older of the two was the one who had to deal with it and clean up after him, because each time he asked the Irishman to he waved it off saying he would get to it later.

He also may have stopped touching Mark's things without permission, but that didn't mean he respected personal space. Nope. It was just as bad as ever when Mark was studying and Jack came over and was hovering around him, too close for comfort or concentration. Just staring at him and being in his personal study bubble. And whenever Mark was on the couch, Jack still laid or sat on it with him to where some part of his body was on or touching the German-Korean man in some way.

It was positively irate. And due to this, it caused more fighting between them. However, Mark noticed it wasn't like the other fights they've had.

Jack seemed to not want to hold a fight for too long anymore, and would either just drop it or apologize for whatever it was that was the problem. Don't get him wrong, he was glad to not be constantly fighting anymore, but he just couldn't really understand why Jack was suddenly changing. Maybe he was finally getting through to the younger man to make him see that what he did was actually frustrating for the black haired man? He couldn't say for sure. He could just be sick of the fighting for all he knew.

But from what Mark could tell, things were indeed getting better between them. At least, he _hoped_ they were.

 

* * *

 

God he had never been more wrong in his  _life._

He regretted thinking that things could get better. Why? Because he was now on the couch trying to sleep while Jack was in their room getting it on with that Ken guy again. He laid there listening to the noise, and it just made him want to grind his teeth. He had no idea why he was so pissed about the situation either.

Jack had done as he asked, informing Mark that he'd called Ken and would be hooking up with him that night. So why was he still so pissed? He just felt so irritated with the fact that Jack was in there banging someone. And he had no idea why.

A thought struck him but he shook his head. Jealousy? For what? He couldn't tell but he knew it was there. Maybe it was because Jack found someone to hook up with, while Mark was still stuck with his own hand. That had to be it. Mark hasn't been with anyone since his last relationship ended 3 years ago. He didn't like the thought of one-night stands either, so maybe he was just growing frustrated and lonely at not sharing a bed with someone in so long. He sighed. That had to be it. Right?

He tried not to think about it anymore as he turned over closing his eyes willing sleep to come. He was on the verge of passing out when he heard it.

"I said no." Another few seconds, then; "No, Ken!!"

That was Jack's voice.

He leaped up from the couch, rushing to the bedroom he shared with the Irishman, throwing the door open and going inside grabbing the man off of the smaller one. He'd seen Jack pushing at him to try to get him off, so he knew it wasn't just foreplay. He glared at the burly man.

"What sort of _'no'_ do you not understand?" Mark demanded, angry that he'd almost forced Jack to do something he didn't want. He didn't even care that the man was naked in front of him.

"Listen, man, this ain't your business. I'm getting sick of you interrupting us!"

"I don't give a shit! When someone says _no,_ that means you _stop._ Got it!?" Mark moved closer, not scared at the other mans size at all, knowing he could hold his own in a fight. But that's when Jack interrupted them.

"Get out, Ken. Right now." He stood pointing towards the door, all arousal lost from almost being forced to do something.

Ken stared at the two roommates for the longest time before he rolled his eyes and began to get dressed. He mumbled something under his breath that neither one of them could make out, and then soon enough he was out the door slamming it shut behind him. Mark finally relaxed turning to the Irishman that now had pajama bottoms on.

"What did he do?"

Jack blinked. "What?"

"What did he do, Jack?" Mark's voice was full of concern, hoping that the younger man was okay.

Jack crossed his arms, looking away almost ashamedly. He then sighed, explaining; "It was going well at first, but he wanted to go the full way. I told him no, but he tried pressuring me to anyways." He took a breath and continued; "I then yelled for him to stop and tried pushing him off when I realized he wouldn't. Then you came in and stopped him."

Mark's shoulders sagged in relief. Nothing bad had happened, but it was a close call. If he'd fallen asleep, the Irishman would've ended up having non-consensual sex. He sighed being very glad he had been able to stop it from happening.

"Well, I'm glad nothing bad happened."

"Hah! You and me both. Can definitely say his number is bein' deleted." He could tell Jack was trying to turn it into a joke, but his voice gave away how shaken he was. Why was he so upset? Well, yes, anything non-consensual is frightening but it's not like Jack hasn't had sex before. He was too comfortable hooking up to be a virgin. So there must be another reason behind it.

Mark wished he could know, but knew it wasn't his business to ask about. So instead he nodded and gave Jack a small smile.

"Well, I'd say it's time to hit the hay. What about you?"

"Yeah, I'm super tired now," Jack agreed. "Night, Mark."

Was that a blush under that smile he'd seen? It was too dark in the room to tell, the light from the stand being too dim to let him see. Besides, he was probably just embarrassed by what almost happened. Mark got into his bed, taking off his glasses once again for sleep.

"Goodnight, Jack." He smiled watching as the Irishman huddled under his blankets to keep warm. Soon enough, he could hear Jack snoring softly.

He watched him for a bit longer before he fell asleep himself. He slept good through the night, but was greeted with a nice surprise when he woke up the next morning when his alarm when off. He sat up reaching over to the new phone charger on his stand. With it was a note, written in a messy scrawl.

 _Mark,  
__Sorry for breakin' your other one. I got this for you yesterday._  
_I was just gonna give it to ya, but I wanted to thank ya for last night._  
 _So yeah. Thanks a lot for the help. I appreciate it.  ~Jack._

There was something endearing about the note, and it caused Mark to smile as he reread it about four times. Perhaps things were getting better between them after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahh .. that was chapter 3. Hope it went well with the other two. It might not be as long as chap 2, but I tried to make it lengthy lol. Also, yes, I know Ken wouldn't do something like that. I just needed something to get Jack's feelings going towards Mark instead of Ken haha.  
> Kudos and comments are appreciated, just don't be rude!
> 
> Thanks! :)


	4. A New Friendship

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More weeks go by and things get better as they go. Jack even joins Mark and his friends for a night of fun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Getting right to this after posting chapter 3. Hope you all are enjoying this so far! I am sticking to my 2 chapters a day so far haha. And be ready for fluff in this chapter.
> 
> Also, thanks for kudos and comments! :)

As more time goes by, Mark begins to notice some big changes in Jack's habits. It's almost as if he's trying not to let himself do them anymore.

Whenever Mark came home to a messy living area the one day, Jack had been there. He frowned getting ready to clean it up, but before he could Jack hopped up and grabbed his food containers and bottles. He tossed them out and even washed a few dishes he'd dirtied.

It was very surprising, to say the least. Mark definitely hadn't been expecting something like that. He hadn't even had to ask the Irishman to do it. It was almost as soon as he'd seen the older man walk in, he instantly knew it was time to clean up. Sort of like a child when their mother gives them  _that look._

Then later on that night he decided to study. The library had been closed that day, so he had to do it in their dorm room. He wasn't even 15 minutes into his studies when he heard Jack messing with his stereo. He sighed, expecting the worst. But, he didn't hear anything. His brows furrowed in confusion and looked behind him to where Jack sat on the sofa. He was wearing a pair of black headphones. Mark was stunned.

Jack had actually been _thoughtful_ of his roommate trying to study. So thoughtful that he decided to wear headphones instead of distracting the German-Korean man with loud ass music. Once again, Mark found himself smiling. He turned around and got back to his studies. He was so glad things were going better for them.

It really did make Mark happy. The Irishman was definitely making some good changes. But that doesn't mean he never slipped up, he did sometimes forget to be considerate of Mark. And there was still the issue with personal space. That seemed to be one habit that Jack _refused_ to change.

But, as time went on with it continuing to happen, Mark found himself growing more and more used to the younger man touching him in some way while they lounged about in their dorm. Whether it was Jack's feet, legs, or head that was touching him, he was beginning to feel content with it. It was just becoming a common occurrence for the two. So common that Mark didn't even ask what he was doing anymore when it happened.

Did he still feel a bit uneasy? Sure. But that didn't mean he wasn't used to it. And it honestly wasn't something to fuss about. Jack was not harming him in any way by being affectionate. Maybe he was just a touchy-feely kind of person? That had to be it. And Mark wasn't gonna just shove him away. He wasn't rude like that. So if Jack was comforted by having someone to rest upon when watching movies or TV, he would allow it.

Due to this new decision that Mark had made, there would be times where they would be up late watching something, touching in some way. Mark would be sitting at one end of the couch, and Jack laying down with either his feet or head in the slightly taller man's lap. He honestly didn't mind this at all. It just seem normal for them now.

When after about a week of Mark being used to the constant touches from Jack, it moved on to cuddling. It was a little odd, but nothing too unsettling. Mark even found himself liking when Jack cuddled next to him with his head resting on his shoulder. He guessed it was mostly from lack of having someone he could actually cuddle with on a regular basis. But what he didn't understand was why Jack was so cuddly with him.

So one day, he asked him.

"What?" Jack stared at Mark from where he was eating in the living area the one night.

"I'm curious as to why you're so cuddly with me," he explained, "I have the right to know, don't I?"

Jack swallowed his mouthful and frowned. His cheeks flushed a light pink as he thought of a good reason.

"Well, I used ta always have siblings with me. We were constantly around each other growin' up," he looked at Mark, "I guess bein' alone now with just a roommate made me miss the constant contact we all shared. Me and my sisters would always cuddle and play."

Mark smiled at the story, it was really nice to hear siblings being so close. Him and his brother were just constantly fighting when together about games with whose turn it was, so he didn't ever do anything of the sort with him.

"So .. I guess I just miss it, ya'know?" Jack asked, looking at him sheepishly. "If it bothers ya, I can stop?"

Mark saw the slight worry on his face and he quickly reassured him; "No, no. It's fine, really, I was just curious about it."

"Alright, good. Cause I gotta say, yer body is nice and warm to cuddle with." The Irishman grinned, laughing softly.

Mark laughed with him, a light blush blooming on his cheeks. He thanks Jack for the compliment and then went on about how awesome his muscles were and how strong he was trying to lighten the mood with humor. It had worked. Him and Jack laughed for a good while that night before they turned in for sleep.

Things were definitely better between them now.

 

* * *

 

More time passed by and with it, so did their first exams of the year.

It had been tough, but Mark and his friends seemed to get through them good enough. So the weekend after they ended, they decided to celebrate. Mark invited Bob and Wade back to his dorm room to play some games and hang out. He found it odd that Jack wasn't around, but didn't pay much mind to it. He was probably out doing something with his own friends that night.

They had a grand time playing GTA5, prop hunt, and Minecraft on their computers together. A few good hours passed before they finally gave up on the video games and Bob spoke up.

"Well, it's about that time fellas," he declared to the other two men in the room, "it's going on midnight."

Wade grinned and nodded understanding what he meant. He got up going to the small mini-fridge in Mark's dorm and pulled out two six packs. Mark laughed a bit at remembering the stupid game they decided on for the drinking game of the night. He shook his head slowly as Wade gave them each a beer bottle.

"Alright, I'm guessing we all know how to play?" Wade inclined.

Both men with glasses nodded, saying; "Yup."

Just as they finished getting their beers ready, the door opened and closed. Mark looked over and saw Jack.

"Oh, didn't know you had company, Mark." The Irishman looked at the two taller dudes curiously.

"Hey, Jack!" Mark smiled before turning to his friends; "Guys, this is my roommate, Jack."

"Hello," Bob said in a friendly manner, "we're about to play a game. Wanna join?"

Jack grinned as he walked in further setting his things down by the couch before he took a seat next to Mark on the floor. They'd moved the coffee table to have more room for their little circle.

"Yeah, sure. What game we playin'?" The Irishman asked.

Mark looked at him with a sly grin; "Never Have I Ever."

Jack heard the name of the game and laughed a bit but nodded enthusiastically; "Hell yeah!" he declared.

And with that they began the game after handing Jack his own bottle of beer. It went really well and they were all carrying on, laughing and poking fun at each other at the things they've done. Embarrassing stuff caused them to make fun of one another, funny stuff caused a roar of laughter, and serious stuff caused some pats on the backs and so on. It was all so much fun between the four of them, as if they were all great friends that had known each other for years.

After a few good rounds of the game, they all had different levels of beer in their second bottles. Mark was down by a half along with Bob, then there was Jack with only a quarter left in his bottle who was in last place, and that left Wade in the lead with only a fourth of his beer empty. It seemed like he didn't do that many crazy things in his life, considering the questions had been things like smoking, piercings, being cheated on, and so on down the line. Jack had pretty much done  _a lot_  of things in his life. He's tried everything at least once, but that doesn't mean he stuck with it. Mark and Bob also seemed to have tried some of those things, but not very many of them. Mostly they drank to serious questions like being cheated on and such.

Either way, the game had been very interesting and they were all different levels of buzzed. Then it came down to Wade to say a personal one.

"Never have I ever," he paused looking at the three other guys in the room, "kissed or made out with a guy."

Bob didn't drink. Jack groaned and downed the last of his beer before grabbing another one. That just left Mark and they all watched him.

He drank.

"Oh-ho, what?!" Bob exclaimed. He was laughing, being quite surprised by that.

Wade raised an eyebrow at him with a stupid grin, and Mark just flipped him off.

"Oh shut up, Wade," he said in mock anger, "no one likes you anyways."

They all laughed together, but Jack just kept looking at Mark. The older man noticed but shrugged it off, guessing he was just surprised at learning that fact about him. It's not like it was a big deal anyways.

They all kept on playing the game until they began to get tired. They'd almost finished both cases of beer, one bottle being left. They just put it back into the mini-fridge, not really worrying about it and then they began to say their goodbyes as Bob and Wade got ready to leave.

As they were walking out the door, Bob turned and looked at Jack.

"Hey man, it was fun hanging out with you," he said sincerely, "and it would be awesome if you'd hang again in the future with us."

Jack grinned at him; "Aw, thanks Bob. I definitely will, you guys are a blast!"

Everyone chuckled at that as they finally walked out the door. Mark waved goodbye to his friends before he closed it and turned back seeing Jack already cleaning the room of empty bottles. He smirked and walked over helping him and he could tell Jack was thankful for it.

Both men were tired after they tidied up the living area of the dorm, so they went into the bedroom to get ready for bed. That's when Jack asked it.

"So, I'm curious now," he started, "what's yer orientation?"

Mark paused and looked at him. "Oh, well I consider myself bisexual. I've been attracted to women most my life, but there were times I was to guys as well."

Jack nodded slowly as if in thought. He didn't say much else as they changed into their pajama bottoms. It was getting more chilly at night now since it was early November, so both boys put on t-shirts as well. After they were changed they both fell into their beds, covering up and said their good nights.

Mark slowly fell asleep with a smile on his face, glad that him and Jack were now friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's chapter 4. Hope you all are enjoying this story so far. Please let me know what you all think!  
> Kudos and comments are appreciated, just don't be rude!
> 
> Thanks! :)


	5. Winter Vacation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mark decides to stay with Jack on campus during Christmas break.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise! A third chapter for today haha. I hope you like this one, because I decided to be nice and give you 3 today. I'm thinking this story will end up being around 8 chapters? Maybe more. Who knows haha.
> 
> But anyways, enjoy! :)

It seemed as though time just flew by so fast once Mark and Jack became friends. Before they knew it, Thanksgiving had passed and winter vacation was getting closer every day. And with each passing day, the black haired man noticed something.

Jack was growing more and more upset. Almost seeming depressed.

Mark had no idea why he would be so upset. He thought the other man would be happy about the upcoming holidays. Being able to go home to family, eat food, relax, open gifts, mess around in the snow, and get drunk on New Years Eve. Yup. Nothing that he could think of that would be dissatisfying about the holidays at all for anyone. Unless you're a Scrooge that just doesn't like Christmas, that is.

But anytime him and Jack hung out and talked, he was his old animated, happy-go-lucky self. He never seemed down or upset until he thought Mark wasn't looking. He wanted to know what was wrong so badly, but didn't know how to ask without the Irishman brushing it off as if it was nothing.

So instead, he chose to just be a good friend and stick by him. He knew that if Jack wanted to tell him what was wrong, that he would.

More time passed by and Mark tried to distract Jack from whatever it was best he could. They hung out with Bob and Wade a few times, went out for pizza, and just relaxed in their dorm. Since vacation time was so close, and exams had passed already, most classes hardly gave them work anymore. They still had those shitty professors that did give them assignments, but only one of two did. So that gave them plenty of free time.

And in those times, Jack seemed the most happiest. Mark was glad to see him happy, it actually made him happy when the younger of the two was happy. He didn't understand why, but that's how he felt each time.

So when he once again noticed the sadness in Jack's expression when Mark mentioned about being excited about going home to see his family, his concern got the best of him.

"Jack, will you please tell me what's wrong?" Mark stared at him, brows furrowed in concern.

"Nothin', Mark, I swear," he tried to reassure his friend. But the black haired man wouldn't be swayed.

"Nothing my ass, Jack. Each time I mention the holidays, you become very upset. What is wrong?"

The Irishman sighed looking to his feet that rested on the coffee table from where they were sitting on the sofa in their dorm. It was a relaxing day for them, so they hadn't done much but watch TV and eat left over take out.

Then he began to explain. He told Mark of how he was dreading the holidays this year because he was going to be alone. Mark went to ask what he meant, but he cut him off explaining how he didn't have the money or enough time to travel back to Ireland to see his family. Right then he understood completely why Jack was so upset about the upcoming holiday vacation.

He would be alone on campus for the entire three weeks they would have off.

Mark frowned as he watched Jack tuck his legs in, wrapping his arms around them and resting his chin on his knees looking so crestfallen. How on earth could he help his friend out with this? There was no way he'd be able to buy two plane tickets to take him back home with him to Cincinnati. And there's no telling if his family would even approve of him bringing a stranger back for the holidays anyways. He thought for a long while before he came up with a great idea and he grinned.

"Then I'll stay here with you!"

Jack looked at him in confusion and shock. "What? No, Mark, you can't. Yer family-"

"Will understand." He insisted. He turned to face his friend smiling; "I'm old enough to make decisions, and I'm sure my family would be glad to know I'm staying here for a friend."

"You would really do that fer me?"

"Of course I would. You're like my best friend now, Jack!"

Jack's face flushed as he smiled happily and he nodded. "Thanks, Mark. I appreciate it."

"It's not a problem," he assured him, "and I promise we'll have a ton of fun together over break. Sound good?"

Jack grinned and nodded. "Sounds great, Mark."

With that the two of them began planning things. Mark cancelled his flight and the next day he called up his family explaining what was going on. Though they were let down they wouldn't be seeing him for the holidays, they were also glad to hear that he was going to be staying behind to be with a friend. His mother praised him on how purehearted and mature he was and it caused him to blush as Jack snickered at him from overhearing what she'd said from the phone.

After that, they both went to the council office in the afternoon to let them know that they'd be staying on campus for the duration of winter break. After they got things signed and situated, they were approved to remain on campus while others went home as a few of the staff members would be staying there as well to do some extra work.

With everything settled, Mark and Jack prepared themselves for a nice, long three weeks alone together on campus. This was going to be amazing.

And amazing it was. They had said goodbye to their friends who were heading back home for break. They even had a few new friendships form over the span of time, including Felix and his girlfriend Marzia, a nice young man from England named Aaron, and Wade's new girlfriend Molly.

Soon enough, they were the only guys left in their dormitory. And what better way to celebrate than to have their own mini dance party?

They drank a bit while dancing to the music on Jack's stereo in the middle of the hallway of the second floor in the dorm. They had a blast and stayed up well into the night. It wasn't until almost 2:43am that they finally called it a night and began piling their bottles and pizza boxes into a big garbage bag. Even while mostly drunk, they were still considerate enough to clean up after themselves.

Once they finished with that, they went back into their dorm room and tiredly went to the couch. They sat there together just idly talking about weird shit in their tired and buzzed state of minds.

Mark was sitting on the sofa with Jack laying down cuddling against him. After a few more minutes of talking, he soon heard the Irishman's soft breathing. Jack had fallen asleep in his lap. He couldn't help thinking how cute he looked and ended up running his fingers through the younger mans hair.

But before he could process anything, he soon was passed out asleep as well.

 

* * *

 

The next day Mark slowly woke up. His head was killing him, so much that he refused to open his eyes at all yet. So he nuzzled his face into whatever was beside him, trying to will himself back to sleep.

He heard a soft intake of breath, almost like a gasp. He was confused. So he slowly blinked his eyes open.

What he was met with was a mess of short brown hair in his face, and a body pressed against his where he laid upon the couch. He didn't remember doing anything last night other than hanging out with Jack. And from what he could tell, they were still clothed. So he didn't worry too much. But that didn't mean he  _wasn't_ feeling embarrassed by the situation.

He swallowed thickly and looked down at Jack. The younger man was wrapped in Mark's arms, their legs tangled together, and they were facing each other. From what the German-Korean could tell, he was still sleeping but not very deeply. He could easily be awoken if someone wished to do so.

But instead of doing that, he decided to watch Jack sleep. His face was mere inches from his. It caused his face to become quite flushed.

When had he began to think of his friend as cute, endearing, and _hot?_ He was certainly an attractive man, but as far as Mark could tell he hadn't really noticed feelings towards the Irishman before. Or had he, and he just didn't realize it? He couldn't be sure. But at that moment, he knew he was at least feeling something towards Jack. He didn't know what that something was. Only knew that it made him wish they could be like this forever and made him feel all fuzzy inside.

Before he could think of how else it made him feel, he began to notice Jack stirring from sleep. He smirked as he watched blue eyes open up slowly and blink up at him. Jack smiled back but his face flushed red, as if just realizing the position they were in.

"Um, hey. G'mornin' to ya." Jack spoke softly.

Mark replied with a gruff voice; "Morning, sleepy head."

Jack just chuckled and shoved at him before he messed with the mass of black floof atop Mark's head. He grinned.

"Yer hair is so freakin' funny lookin'!" The Irishman exclaimed as he got off the sofa to stretch. His shirt raised up showing his belly, and Mark couldn't help but stare.

Damn. There was that feeling again.

"I dunno bout you, but I'm showerin'," Jack proclaimed before he headed off to their dorms bathroom.

Once the door was shut, the older man heard the shower turn on as he sat up running his hands through his mess of bed head. He had to figure this out quick, but was unsure how. Maybe he should talk to Jack about it? That seemed like the right thing to do. But at the same time, what if he was misreading his own feelings? Oh, he had no idea.

When Jack finally finished with his shower, Mark decided to hop in to clear his mind. Once he finished and got out, he heard a squeal of delight and a call of his name. He frowned a bit confused, but exited the bathroom dressed in the clean clothes he'd taken in with him. He spotted Jack standing by the window. He walked over and saw instantly what he'd been so excited about.

Snow. And not just a tiny bit, but a lot of it. At least two feet of the fresh, white powder.

Mark smiled at how excited his roommate became, insisting that they had to go out and have a snowball battle and build a snowman. So they did just that. The older of the two grabbed things he could find for the snowman and then together they headed out into the cool, brisk December air bundled up in heavy jackets, gloves, wool hats, and scarves. Neither one had boots, so they just wore 3 layers of thick socks under their sneakers hoping it would work well enough.

They first built snow forts and had an all-out snowball battle in the open area between buildings. It went on until they were both out of breath and feeling very sweaty. There was no telling who won, but Jack kept insisting that it was him. Usually Mark would argue back, but he let it go and allowed Jack a small victory this time.

Soon they moved onto the snowman. They built a nice,  _almost_ _,_ even one. They used beer bottle caps for eyes and buttons, a short and fat stick for the nose, and some little acorns for the mouth. After that, they put two long, thin sticks in his sides for arms. Mark smiled when they finished and backed up to look at it.

"It's still missin' somethin'," Jack mused.

When Mark got ready to ask what, he saw Jack remove his scarf and tie it around the snowman's neck.

"There! Now he's all cute lookin'," he ginned proud. Mark couldn't have agreed more.

Once they finished with their snowman, they were both beginning to feel the cold sink in. So Mark suggested going for some coffee, and the Irishman happily agreed to his suggestion. So they walked to the small cafe not far from campus and got some coffee. Mark took his with sugar and cream while his roommate took his straight black. He couldn't help but find it interesting to have learned that little detail about Jack.

They spoke back and forth about their times as kids during holidays. Most of the stories were quite funny and heartwarming. It was nice to be like this with Jack, Mark found himself thinking. Just being alone with him, out having fun in snow and getting coffee. It almost felt like a date. The thought caused him to grin slightly. When Jack asked, he just told him he was happy to have stayed behind to be with him for the holidays.

Jack had blushed and looked down a bit shyly. He thanked Mark and told him he was happy to be able to spend the holidays with him as well. Both men couldn't help the feeling of heat in their cheeks and stupidly happy grins they wore upon their faces. They finished their coffee and paid the bill before leaving to head back to their dorm for the night.

When they got back, they curled up on the sofa together under a warm blanket watching some silly, old Christmas reruns that were on every year. However, Mark couldn't bring himself to pay much attention to the movie as he kept stealing glaces at Jack each chance he got.

He only noticed that Jack was doing the same when they'd both glanced at one another at the same time. Mark swallowed as they stared at one another. He saw the young Irishman begin to blush slightly. Mark wasn't sure about his decision, but he made it before he could give it much thought.

Mark leaned forward and kissed Jack.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, that was a good chapter. Don't ya just love cliff hangers? I know I do haha! I hope it fits well and that you guys liked it. Let me know! Also, it's so freaking late here. 3:30am haha. I'm now tired and going to bed.  
> Kudos and comments are appreciated, just don't be rude!
> 
> Thanks! :)


	6. Holiday Cheer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mark and Jack grow even closer over the course of winter break, and have their own little Christmas.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys. Thank you so much for the amazing feedback on my story. It makes me so happy that you're all enjoying it so much! I hope you all continue enjoying it and like chapter 6! :D
> 
> Also, sorry for the late update. I had a bit of difficulty writing this chapter. I had too many good ideas for it, and little time to choose what one to go with haha. So I hope it turned out okay!

The kiss they had shared that night in front of the TV had been short and sweet. It caused both men to flush and grin like idiots. They shared another kiss before Jack curled into Mark's side even more under the warm blanket, turning his attention back to the movie. That night had been wonderful and would forever be remembered as the first kiss they'd shared.

But it would not be the last.

As more days passed, Christmas was getting closer. Very close in fact, as it was only two days away. Mark and Jack had been spending their time watching movies, cuddling, and going out for coffee at the little cafe. It was so very nice and domestic, and the older man couldn't help but enjoy every minute of it. It was almost as if they were dating, even though they weren't. They were still at the friendship stage, just with a few make-out sessions tossed in.

Even right now they were making out. It wasn't a heated make-out though, oh no, it was slow and lazy. Mark was very surprised as he thought Jack was the type to hurry things along, considering it only took one night for him to give a man a blow job. It's not that it upset the black haired man, not at all. He was actually happy that they weren't rushing into sex. He enjoyed moving things slow, even if they had no idea what this thing they had together was yet. 

They obviously knew they felt attraction towards each other. The two men also knew that they loved how they felt when kissing and cuddling. So much that they hated sleeping in opposite beds. Jack found himself unable to sleep alone after that first time they passed out on the couch together. So Mark got an idea one night and invited the younger man into his bed.

They had huddled together under Mark's duvet, spooning comfortably. It's the best sleep that the German-Korean man has had in a long time. He had missed holding another person while sleeping  _so much_ that he never wanted to go back to sleeping alone again. And Jack seemed perfectly okay with that idea as well.

Jack pulled back from their slow kissing, jarring Mark from his thoughts.

He smiled; "What's up?"

The Irishman just shook his head biting his lip. He was obviously in thought as well.

Jack moved from where he'd been laying along Mark's body to sitting up straight on the sofa. He looked around slowly.

"Christmas is comin' up. And I can't help but feel we should celebrate in some way, ya'know?" He asked.

Mark nodded. "Alright, what would you like to do then?"

The younger man grinned; "I want us to go shopping! We can get some nice, small decorations to have our own Christmas."

He nodded, agreeing with Jack that it sounded like a terrific plan. Anything to make him happy. So together they got dressed, and headed out to the shopping center to do a little shopping to make their dorm a little more Christmas-y.

Once they got to the mall they both went to the center of it at the fountain. They agreed to split up, Jack being in charge of small decorations and Mark in charge of getting some sort of small tree to use. Most likely going to be a fake one, which was fine with him. But he also had another idea in mind once he finished his fake-tree shopping. 

He was going to buy Jack a surprise gift for Christmas.

The only problem, was he had no idea what he would like. He tried thinking of music to get him, but had no idea what bands he actually listened to. All he knew was they were all metal bands. He then tried looking for games, but they had pretty much every one that was in the stores already, aside from new releases that hadn't caught the Irishman's interests.

So what on earth could he possibly get for Jack?

Jeez, he sounded like a fretting man on Valentines Day trying to get their girlfriend something special. Perhaps it was because he wanted to be sure whatever he got him would make him happy. He didn't wanna get something the Irishman wouldn't like or enjoy having. The whole point of getting someone a gift was that it was something they liked or wanted. But he had no idea where to begin with that.

So he wandered about, still continuing his search. Which, by the way, was very awkward to do as he was lugging around a 6 foot long, 2 foot wide box with their tree inside of it. He got odd looks, but he ignored them. He was more concerned about possibly knocking something over.

As he kept on looking for a good gift, he wandered into a store without reading the sign above it. Inside he found many things that had to do with different fandoms ranging from Doctor Who and Star Wars all the way to silly internet memes. He looked around, hoping to find a good gift, when something caught his eye.

He grinned as he looked at the 14-inch tall collector items. He knew that any one of these would cause Jack to jump with excitement, as he'd stated before that he'd looked everywhere but couldn't ever find them. He grabbed the one he knew the Irishman would like the most, and purchased it, tucking it safely into his inside coat pocket.

Finally. He'd found the perfect gift for his Jack.

Wait. His Jack? He wasn't his, they hadn't established a relationship. No, it must've just been from his excitement of finding something he knew the other man would love. Yeah, that was it. It had to be.

He shoved his thoughts aside, however, as headed back to meet said man at the fountain.

"Hey," Jack greeted him with a smile,"find us a good tree?"

"Yup! It's nice, with lights built into it," he replied, practically beaming with success.

"Well aren't you just a ball of energy?"

"Just excited is all."

Jack smiled at that and nodded as they left the shopping center and headed back to their dorm. Mark was proud that he'd been able to get a gift for his friend, and couldn't wait for him to find it under their small tree on Christmas morning.

But what he didn't know, was that the Irishman had done the same thing as he did.

 

* * *

 

They had set everything up that day when they got home to their dorm. The tree went up, decorations put on it, and cookies had been baked. Because Jack seemed to have wanted to bake some cookies as well for them. He insisted that it was just for the holiday, and not because of his sweet tooth. Mark went along with it, but didn't believe him for a second.

The next night on Christmas Eve was when Mark stuck his gift for Jack under the tree. He had wrapped it, albeit messily, with some cheap wrapping paper that had silly little reindeer on it and a green bow on top.

After he'd done that, he'd returned to his spot on the sofa waiting for the Irishman to finish with his shower. The living area of their dorm was dimly lit by the TV and lights from their tree. When Jack had finished with the shower, he returned to cuddle up to Mark on the sofa wearing some pajama bottoms and one of the black haired man's t-shirts.

"Hm, my clothes look good on you, Jack," he winked, teasingly.

Jack grinned at him. "Oh yeah? I couldn't help it," he crawled into his lap, kissing him softly, "I just love stealin' yer things."

"Oh really now? Well I best keep an eye on them more often," he chuckled amused.

He honestly didn't care about Jack wearing his clothes. He actually found himself thinking of how  _hot_ he looked wearing them. They were a bit big on him due to being much more slender than Mark, and it showed his neck and collar bones off.

"Hm, yer starin' at me, Mark."

He was pulled from his thoughts at hearing Jack's voice in his ear. He shivered, but it wasn't from the cold. He could hear the Irishman snickering softly, and he leaned in kissing at his neck. That certainly shut him up. He heard Jack's intake of breath as his head tilted to the side.

Mark took the chance, kissing and nipping at the length of the Irishman's neck, jawline, and collar bones. This lead to a heated make-out session, which was one of the first few they've had while exploring this thing they had between them. It went on for quite a bit, both men kissing each other and roaming their hands over chests, shoulders and backs.

They were certainly enjoying themselves. So much, that they lost track of time. They only noticed when Mark's phone went off with a loud buzzing sound. Both of them pulled apart, faces flushed with the heat of the moment, and he quickly answered his phone.

He cleared his throat trying to sound casual; "Uh, h-hello?"

"Hey buddy," it was Bob, "just calling to wish you a Merry Christmas. How're you and Jack doing?"

"Uh, we're doing great," he smiled, "and Merry Christmas to you too."

"That's great to hear. Just wanted to check in for the holidays. We should all hang out once break is over."

"Yeah, yeah sounds cool. Can't wait to see you guys again," he responded coolly, "and Jack also says hi."

Jack looked over to Mark from where he stood eating a cookie, the mood having been ruined. The older of the two just smirked.

He continued his call with Bob until they said their goodbyes and hung up. Then he stood, walking over to where the Irishman was still devouring gingerbread men.

"You're gonna get a stomach ache eating all of those."

Jack snorted. "You kiddin'? I could live off'a cookies!"

Mark just laughed and shook his head. He then lead the other man to their bedroom where they fell into Mark's bed and snuggled up under the blankets together. They both quickly fell asleep and woke up the next morning around the same time. Jack was positively full of excitement that morning.

He shook the half-Korean man until he was fully awake and laughing, shoving the Irishman away from him. They stumbled out of bed and grabbed their laptops. They'd already planned ahead of time to spend the first part of the morning Skyping family for Christmas.

They did that and it was all wonderful. Jack's family sounded nice to Mark, but he didn't get to see them. However, when Mark's family asked to meet the friend that he'd stayed behind on campus with, he pulled the smaller man closer to him so they could see him too. His family instantly loved Jack and how funny and sweet he was. It sort of caused Mark to blush as it seemed as if he was introducing his new boyfriend to them.

After that thought, he couldn't seem to completely erase it from his mind. All he could do was push it to the back.

Once they finished with Skype, Mark decided it was time to pull out his surprise gift for his friend. However, when he got ready to do so, Jack pulled his attention towards him.

"Mark," he'd said with hands behind his back, "Uh, here. This is for you," he pulled a gift wrapped item from his back. It being wrapped in snowman wrapping paper with a red bow on top of it.

"Jack, you didn't have to get me anything," he grinned as he reached out taking it.

"I know, I just wanted to," he replied sheepishly.

Mark was about to open it but stopped and reached under the tree. He pulled out the wrapped gift he had for Jack, handing it to him.

"Well, I guess we both had the same idea then," he remarked as he watched the younger man's eyes light up happily.

They sat down on the sofa together and opened their gifts. Both of them had pretty much the same reaction when they saw what was under the wrapping paper. Mark's gift was a game he mentioned wanting a while ago called Alien Isolation. He grinned, loving both horror games and space-themed games so much. He looked at his friend, hoping he would be thrilled with his gift as well.

The reaction Jack gave was that and so much more. His gift from Mark was a Shadow of the Colossus collector statue of his favorite colossal. His eyes were wide as he stared at it inside it's box, untouched. He turned to face the man beside him.

"Where on Earth did you find this, Mark?"

"I wandered into a store that had merchandise for all different types of shows, movies and games," he explained, "and when I found it, I knew you'd like it."

"Like it? I fuckin' _love_ it!" He called out happily.

He sat the box down on the table before wrapping his arms around Mark's neck and kissing him deeply. The older man hadn't expected that big of a reaction from him, but accepted it nonetheless. He kissed the Irishman back before they pulled apart.

With their gift exchange finished, they decided to play Mark's new game together. They had a ton of fun that Christmas day, just relaxing and eating cookies together. It was wonderful and they wished to continue along the path this attraction was leading them, _eager_ to find out where it would go.

Mark couldn't help but hope it would never end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woot woot! The feelings between them are growing. I hope you all liked this chapter, let me know!  
> Kudos and comments are always appreciated, just don't be rude!
> 
> Thanks! :)


	7. Something More

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The new semester begins at college, and with it a new relationship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late updates today, it's just taking me a while to get these written out. Then I gotta wait for my friend to proof read for misspellings and small errors haha. But I hope you're still enjoying it as it goes on!

New Years came and went, but it had been great fun. Mark and Jack had drank that night and kissed at the end of the New Years count down.

But now, things were back to the way they were before the winter break started. Classes were back, as were assignments, and the dormitory was no longer empty. It was back to it's bustling and rambunctious nature full with 18 to 25 year old men running around causing mayhem.

Mark sort of missed being able to roam campus alone with Jack, not having anyone there who would stare at them if they ever did anything. And he supposed that those thoughts were what caused him to kind of shy away from being too out in the open with how close him and Jack had become.

He was fine when it was Bob and Wade around them, they didn't judge either of them and were understanding about their attraction towards one another. He was also fine out in public away from campus, like at the little cafe they enjoyed going to. But when it came to on campus around other college students? Nope. He preferred to be subtle about their new friends-with-benefits relationship.

When Jack had finally asked him about his uneasiness when on campus, he was very understanding when Mark explained why. So they didn't keep it a secret, but they weren't out in the open with it either. Just trying to keep the PDA to a minimum is all until they could better understand what they had going for them. So far, the whole thing was working out good for them. 

More time passed and they had many more make-out sessions, dates, and were even beginning to get a little intimate.

It was around Valentines Day when it had first happened. Jack and him jokingly got each other gifts for the holiday of love, just some chocolate for Mark and a bear for Jack. They honestly hadn't meant for anything to get serious that night, it just sort of happened.

At first they had been teasing each other about their gifts for Valentines day, just having some fun. Then it somehow turned into a steamy make-out session. Mark was over top of Jack on the sofa in their dorms living area, kissing him feverishly. When they pulled back for air he'd begun to kiss and nip along his jawline and down his neck. When he reached the collar of Jack's shirt, the younger had allowed him to remove it.

The older of the two had stared down at his flushed body, eyes heavy lidded behind his glasses. He then leaned down and began kissing along the brown haired mans chest and stomach, instantly feeling hands in his thick, black hair. He kissed his way back up and bit at the smaller mans pulse point. That's when it happened.

Jack gasped and lifted his hips, causing the two to grind against each other. It seemed the little Irishman had a sensitive neck and seemed to enjoy soft pain. But the action caused them to freeze for a split second until Mark decided to move right along, too lust driven at this point to ignore the ache he felt within his jeans. He kissed him again and ground his hips down against Jack's, letting him feel his arousal.

The younger man wrapped his arms around him, hands pushing at the hem of the others shirt. After a few minutes, they were both down to their boxers. They moved together, rocking their hips to get that much needed friction, and kissing each other desperately. Jack tugged on black hair, Mark growled softly and bit down on his collar bone lightly. Both of them lost to the desire of lust.

Mark was so busy kissing along the Irishman's body to notice what he was doing until he felt a warm hand wrap around his dick. He choked back a groan, it coming out as a grunt instead as the hand began to stroke.

"J-Jack?"

"Is this okay, Mark?" The blue eyed man asked, breathlessly.

He hastily nodded and at the approval, Jack shoved his roommates boxers off of him making his strokes easier to make. While he worked Mark with his hand, the one above kissed at his neck while teasing a nipple between his fingers. It caused the younger man to whine and let out breathy moans of _"Mark"._

That's when he'd pulled the others boxers off, making them both fully naked together for the first time. God  _damn_ Jack was beautiful. His body was perfectly shaped with a light dusting of hair, and his own lithe build. Jack's own thoughts were on a similar line, thinking of how gorgeous Mark was even with the scars along his torso. He had just the right amount of muscle within his broader build.

Soon enough, Mark had removed Jack's hand and replaced it with his own. Only this time, he was gripping both their penises in his hand as he began to stroke. The Irishman had writhed in pleasure at finally having attention where he needed it most. Soft moans and grunts filled the air within the living area, the coolness of it raising goosebumps along their flushed bodies, causing them to shiver.

A few more strokes, and suddenly Jack was gasping and gripping at the half-Korean's hair and shoulders.

"Ah, fuck," he panted, "Mark I'm .. go-gonna .."

"M-me too, Jack," Mark replied, voice heavy with lust.

Jack was the one who came first. He let out a long, breathy moan as his back arched off the sofa. Mark was so entranced by the scene, he looked so fucking  _hot_ when he was orgasming beneath him. It caused a shot of pleasure to shoot through him, straight to his dick, and he too was soon cumming.

The bigger man let out a deep growl in the back of his throat as he groaned Jack's name, pumping his fist to ride out the climax. After they were both finished, they laid there panting with Mark still holding himself up slightly so as to not crush the brown haired man.

When they calmed down enough, they got up and cleaned themselves off with wet cloth before tossing it in the dirty laundry. Then they put their boxers back on and went to the bedroom where they got into bed. They didn't go to sleep right away, just laid there with Jack's head upon Mark's chest, listening to the rhythmic beat of his heart as he drew random patterns on his shoulder.

They shared a few sleepy kisses and just relaxed in each others presence, enjoying the silence. It was comfortable, and so  _domestic._ Mark loved everything about it. Even Jack.

With that thought, he caught himself. Could he really love him already? He couldn't be sure yet. There were many types of love. He could've just loved that it had been _Jack_ that was withhim and not that he was  _in love_ with the other man. But no matter, he didn't dwell on it too much. He was much too tired to do so.

Soon he heard the soft snores of Jack, and knew he was asleep.

He allowed himself to relax. With his arm around the Irishman and face nuzzled into his hair, he fell asleep.

 

* * *

 

A few weeks passed since that incident happened. The roommates had shared a few more intimate moments over the course of time, but nothing too far from what the first time had been like. It was now the beginning of March, and with the new month came new feelings.

Mark Edward Fischbach was in fact, in love.

He came upon this revelation after he allowed himself to think about his time with Jack. He also went to Bob and Wade for a bit of advice about their situation with how far it's come and continues to go. They'd, thankfully, taken it seriously and gave him some good advice.

"Listen, Mark," Bob started, "if you really do think you feel this way towards Jack, it's best to let him know."

"Yeah," Wade followed up, "or at the very least think about everything that's happened to be sure it's what you think it is."

Mark frowned at that. "What do you mean?"

"What he means is; if you're still unsure then try to think about what has already happened between you and Jack," Bob said first.

"And then focus those things with what it is you're feeling to be sure it actually is love," Wade finished.

He took what they'd told him into thought and agreed with them.

"Yeah, that sounds good," he looked at them with a smile, "thanks guys. I knew I could count on you for help."

"Anytime, bud. And if you two end up together, we need to go out for celebration."

Mark just laughed and assured Bob that they would all go out for dinner together if it happened. _God,_ he hoped it would happen.

That is also exactly what he's been planning to do, now that he was finished contemplating everything and found out that he actually was in love. The only problem with his idea was that classes and assignments were getting in his way. He was so backed up with school work that he had no time to spare to plan a nice, lovely evening with Jack to tell him how he felt.

But it wasn't just him. The Irishman was super busy as well. Maybe even more than Mark was with all the tests he's been studying for. He had them pretty much all week long, sometimes two different ones in a single day.

Mark didn't know what it was about the month of March that made the teachers suddenly cram them with workloads, but he absolutely _hated_ it. All he wanted was a bit of spare time to be able to talk to Jack about everything. This work was stressing him out from not being able to get it off his chest quick enough.

He was beginning to lose his patients.

So when he finally got a chance to relax that weekend after finishing his work, he went back to their dorm room hoping to find Jack there. He'd been in the library looking up some things for his studies from a few books he didn't have. Though he'd hardly been able to concentrate on anything but the Irishman that kept plaguing his thoughts.

When he entered he saw Jack finishing up some food, books and papers on the coffee table while he took a break. Good, now was his chance to actually talk with him. He shut the door and walked over.

"Jack, can I talk with you for a minute?" He asked, albeit nervous, but didn't let it show in his voice.

Blue eyes looked up at him curiously as the other sat down his food, which just so happened to be a sandwich.

"Yeah sure, what's up?" He smiled up at the older man.

Mark took a seat next to him and smirked. Slowly, he began to speak.

"Well, I know that a lot has changed between us since we first met at the beginning of the school year," he licked his lips, "and I've been wanting to ask you- er, well tell you that I, um," oh god, he was beginning to stutter and his face was heating up.  _'Play it cool, Fischbach!'_

He cleared his throat as Jack gave him an odd look before he finally blurted it out.

"I love you, Jack."

A few seconds passed. Then a minute. Oh  _fuck_ had he just screwed himself over? What if he didn't feel the same way? What if he'd be rejected? What if-

His thoughts were ground to a halt as he felt lips lock with his, and arms wrap around his neck. Oh, thank _god._  His eyes slipped closed in relief as he leaned into the kiss, his arms slipping around a slim waist. He could feel the smile upon the smaller mans lips as they kept kissing for a few good seconds.

Finally, they pulled away to look at each other.

"You have no idea how long I've been waitin' to hear those words come from yer mouth," Jack beamed up at the slightly taller man.

Said man shook his head, and asked; "What do you mean you've been waiting?"

Jack seemed to flush behind the grin he was sporting, "I mean, I've loved you for a while and have been wanting to know you felt the same," he bubbled happily.

The black haired man couldn't believe what he was hearing and shook his head as he laughed softly. They hugged and kissed each other passionately. Once they're joy had calmed down to a calm type of happiness, they laid down together on the sofa just sharing each others company in comfortable silence.

At that moment, their friendship-with-benefits turned into a full on relationship.

Mark couldn't have been happier.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I get the feeling that this will be more than 8 chapters now. Maybe 9. Also, hope you all liked this one. It was certainly a big leap for our two boys with intimacy and a newly formed relationship! Yay!  
> Kudos and comments are appreciated, just don't be rude!
> 
> Thanks! :)


	8. Date Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mid-terms are stressful. What better way to relieve that stress than a fun-filled date night?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for another late update! Just been wracking my brain on how I wanna finish up this story. I have too many good ideas!! Haha. But anyways, hope you enjoy this chapter as the boys have a sweet & fluffy date night!
> 
> Also, I finally came up with a state for them to be in. So it would explain snow & them all being away from home! xD

With Mark and Jack now in a relationship, they seemed to be more comfortable with people seeing them together. They were the new couple on campus, and soon became the talk amongst the students. Most of it wasn't bad either, it was actually just a lot of people talking about how adorable and hot they were together. Sure, there were still those few douche bag haters, but they didn't let those fools get them down.

When they got together, Mark had stuck to his promise to Bob and Wade. The first thing they did was go out to eat. They had decided on a nice Chinese restaurant, and had a blast just eating and talking together. Wade had even brought his girlfriend Molly with him. Bob would've brought his girlfriend, Mandy, as well, but she was back in Ohio studying at a different college, while they were all in Chicago, Illinois.

But even without his girlfriend with him, Bob was still cheerful and happy as ever for his two friends. After they ate, they all had a few drinks in celebration. Which, as it turned out, ended up being a bad idea. Why you ask?

One word: Mid-terms.

Yup.

Mark regretted those few drinks of celebration, because the next day when he was not having any of it. His head hurt like hell, he was tired, and all he wanted to do was lay in bed and shut out the world. And boy, did he have a shit ton of work to do. He had to not only study, but he had a project to do along with many assignments.

Jack was in the same boat as him. He had regretted the previous night as well, and was up to his ears in papers and workloads. This was not going to be fun for either of them.

The mid-terms were so time consuming as well. With having to do so much studying, assignments, and projects to be ready for the day they had to take the exams, it pretty much took away all of their free time.

Because of this, Mark and Jack hardly had any alone time to do anything. The most they could do was sleep, eat, and have small cuddle breaks to rest their heads a bit before getting back to work. It was super exhausting.

However, Mark wasn't just worrying over the mid-term crisis they had. He was also dreading what was soon coming.

The end of their college year.

This meant that they'd have to leave campus, to go back to their homes until the next year started up. He really did not want that. He didn't want to be away from Jack, they'd only just begun their relationship and the bond they've created over the year was too precious to him. He didn't want it to end, but the thought of long-distance relationship for even 3 months of summer seemed terrible.

He rubbed his face with his hands, causing his glasses to become askew. The 22 year old was just so  _tired_ and _stressed_ that he couldn't concentrate well enough on anything. But he'd been trying to push those thoughts aside, to do his best with his studies just to get them out of the way in hopes of getting some free time with his boyfriend.

_Boyfriend._

The word always put a stupid grin on his face. He was so overjoyed that they were together now, and hoped they would be for a long time. His other relationships hadn't worked out, obviously, so he wanted to try his best to make sure this one did. So far, it seemed to be working.

Aside from the fact that right now they literally had no time together, but that wasn't Mark's or Jack's fault.

So more time went on with them stressing about school work and studies. They got to cuddle in bed at night after finishing for the day, too tired to do much other than give lazy kisses. Then when they woke up, it was back to square one with the workload and stress.

Due to this, it caused their first argument. It wasn't really towards each other though, but more towards the teachers and work they had to do.

"Fuck this shite," the Irishman complained, "it's way too confusin'!" He groaned, covering his face in his hands.

Mark had been trying to help him with the mathematics part of their studies, since he was already sure he was ready for that part. He had a natural ease with the course so he wasn't too worried about it.

"C'mon, Jack, it's not that hard," he calmly told him, "I'll walk you through it again if you'd like?"

"No! Just forget it, I don't want to."

He frowned, "I'm only trying to help you-"

"I don't want your help!"

Mark stared at his boyfriend in shock, but knew he didn't mean it. Hearing him say it though still struck home and he swallowed thickly before nodding slowly. He looked down trying not to make the situation any more tense than it was.

He heard his lover sigh.

"No, Mark," he reached out touching his shoulder, "I'm sorry, alright? I'm just really stressed is all. This shite is killin' my head."

He looked at his blue eyes and smiled, "it's alright, I understand. Let's just take a break from it then. Sound good?"

Jack nodded and they put the books aside for a while and ordered some pizza. They laid around, eating their food once it got there, and just overall relaxing. They talked about some random shit that happened in the past couple weeks, remembering the awesome fun they had with their friends.

But the moment didn't last. As soon as they finished eating, it was back to hitting the books.

God, he just hoped the mid-term week would go by fast.

 

* * *

 

The mid-term week wasn't fast. Not even the slightest bit.

It seemed to drag on and on, one exam after another. Sometimes there were two in one day, and this went on for almost the entire week. A full four days of testing really took a toll on the two lovers.

At the end of the day they were weary and exhausted, instantly passing out as soon as they fell into Mark's bed together. They didn't even attempt to kiss anymore, let alone do anything else.

But eventually, it was all finally over. The workloads that had been weighing them down had lifted from their shoulders. They could finally relax and not have to worry about exams any more. And the best thing about the end of mid-terms? They had both passed for the year.

To celebrate, Mark came up with an amazing idea for them. Well, not really  _amazing_ but at least something fun that they could both enjoy, especially after a stressful week.

He pulled the flyer out of his jeans pocket looking at what it said.

_WINDY CITY AMUSEMENTS SPRING CARNIVAL EVENT._

_COME JOIN US FOR THREE DAYS OF RIDES, FOOD,_

_GAMES AND MORE. LOCATED IN THE CHICAGO_

_AREA. OPEN FROM 9AM TO 10PM. DON'T MISS IT!_

He smiled at how cliche it was, but he didn't care. It would be fun and  _so_ worth it. He hoped that his boyfriend would enjoy it as well.

When it got closer to the date of the weekend of the fair, he decided to announce his plans for their weekend. He turned to look at the Irishman sitting beside him as they watched a bit of TV. The show  _Friends_ was on that night, and Jack had wanted to watch it.

It was now a commercial so it was a good chance to enact on his plan.

"Hey, babe?"

Jack looked at him, "what is it, darlin'?" he teased.

He loved poking fun at Mark whenever he'd call him babe or something else along those lines.

"Well, I wanted to talk to you about this weekend," he started before he pulled the flyer out of his pocket, "and I thought we could go to the carnival?"

Jack's eyes lit up and he instantly agreed. "Hell yeah! That's gonna be so much fun!"

So with that settled, they chose to go on Saturday which was the day of the fireworks as well.

They got to the carnival around 2pm and just spent the whole day getting on rides, playing games, and eating a shit ton of greasy foods from the concession stands. They got things like deep fried oreos, burgers, ice cream, and a butt load of nachos with cheese. They washed everything down with soda and lemonade. Dear _god_ their food choices were unhealthy, but it was worth it.

While they were playing some of the games, Mark had won a big stuffed penguin and gave it to Jack. The animal was dark green and white with a little black bow-tie. The Irishman named him Flipper, much to the older man's amusement.

They spent a good amount of time wandering about the fair as well. They looked at stands where they had things like jewelry, shirts, and other things that you could buy. A lot of them were nice, and Jack ended up buying a cool looking necklace for the black haired man. It looked like a flaming cross with two gold colored rings on either side of it and a smaller bronze cross.

The slightly taller man instantly put the necklace on, adjusting it so it hung down to his chest. He grinned and they continued on through the carnival.

As the hours passed by, it was almost time for the fireworks. They were trying to look for a place they could get a good view to watch them. As they were looking around, Mark spotted something and he smiled.

"Hey, I think I found a good place to watch from," he nudged his boyfriend before pointing.

Jack looked and instantly tensed up at what he was pointing to.

A Ferris wheel.

However, Mark didn't seem to notice his boyfriend's reaction to the sight of it due to his excitement. He took hold of Jack's hand and they went to the short line that was there, and when it was their turn he gave the ride operator the amount of tickets the ride cost.

Next thing Jack knew, they were seated into a blue seat with the lap bar locked in place over their knees. He tried to keep calm. It wasn't working very well.

Soon the ride started and they went backwards, beginning to lift up into the air. They stopped half-way as more people were being let on the ride.

"Wow, the view is amazing up here. You can see all the lights from the other rides!"

Mark's voice was helping him a small bit, but not much. He nodded a bit jerkily.

"Uh, yeah ...i-it's great," he tried to sound excited but his voice was a bit shaky. Mark noticed.

"Jack, are you alright?" He turned to look at him, and concerned brown eyes met fearful blue.

"Uh .. not really, no," he mumbled, "I-I'm actually really scared of heights."

"Oh shit, why didn't you tell me?" He felt so horrible. Why didn't he think to make sure his boyfriend was comfortable with this sort of thing?

"I-I don't know," the Irishman sounded upset, "I guess I didn't wanna ruin it for ya."

Mark smiles softly at him, and at that moment the ride began moving again and the slightly smaller man gasped. He instantly moved closer, gripping his boyfriend's arm. This caused the half-Korean to frown before he got an idea.

He wrapped his arm around the brown haired boy, and kept him close to his side.

"Does this help?"

Jack calmed down quite a bit, feeling safe.

"Yeah, it does," he smiled a bit, "thank you, Mark."

"No problem, Jack."

And together they rode the Ferris wheel. It went around once and then when they went up again, they stopped at the very top. Right then, the fireworks began.

Jack's eyes lit up as he watched them, and Mark couldn't be happier than being there with the Irishman. They continued to watch the fireworks go off for a long while, and he could tell that the fear that his boyfriend had felt was,  _almost_ _,_ completely gone.

He turned to him and when Jack looked at him, he pulled him into a deep, passionate kiss.

Soon the ride ended, as did the fireworks, and they headed back to campus. Jack had his penguin in one arm as Mark held his other one. The older of the two couldn't help as he watched the younger man talk enthusiastically about their day. He got lost in all that was Jack. It was amazing and wonderful.

Mark was truly, and utterly happy.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still unsure how many chapters this will end up being. Guess we'll have to see huh? Well, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, but it's the only update I'm doing today. I need a small break to focus on how I want it to go. Having all these ideas jumbled in my head is making it hard to concentrate lol. Thanks for understanding!
> 
> Kudos and comments are appreciated, just don't be rude!
> 
> Thanks! :)


	9. Special Surprise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mark continues to worry over the approaching end for the college year. But then he gets an idea.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, thanks for patiently waiting. I know I took a while to update, but it was so I could focus on the last two chapters clearly without worrying about getting them finished in time to be posted. But I got this one finished, and am uploading now. I hope you enjoy it!

Things at college seemed to be slowing down more and more as time continued to pass. The only thing the students had to do now was study for finals, which were at the end of the week. But Mark wasn't worried about those very much. No, he was worried about what came after finals.

The end of the year. The time when they all had to leave campus for summer.

He didn't want it to happen. Didn't want to have to separate from his boyfriend, Jack. But there was no way he could take him home with him to Cincinnati. His mother had made it clear that if him or his brother ever got into relationships they had to move out and get their own place.

Their own place.

_That was it!_

If Mark couldn't take him home, then he'd just have to get his own place! Then Jack could move in with him. He would no longer have to fly all the way back to Ireland once the year ended, and they could continue to be together.

The black haired man grinned to himself as he looked down at his study books, which he wasn't paying attention to, as he began to think over his plan.

He didn't want Jack to know about it. Best to keep it as a surprise, it would make things more romantic that way. There was also the process of finding a suitable place, along with taking prices into consideration. He wanted something nice that wasn't too expensive. Which means a good apartment would probably be the best thing to look for.

Mark could just picture his boyfriend's face when he told him that he'd gotten them a place. He couldn't wait.

With that he continued his work for the rest of that day. Then the next day he began to search for places available in or close to Chicago so they wouldn't have to travel very far for college when it started back up next year. He found a few and wrote down addresses so he'd be able to check them out at different times.

When Jack had began to grow suspicious of his activities, he simply told him he was very busy with his studies for finals. He seemed to accept that answer. There was no way he was going to tell him he was leaving campus each day after classes to check out apartments.

Though if he wanted, he could just say he was doing a bit of work before the end of the year. That was a good excuse right? Who knows.

The other thing he had to do was call his mother and inform her of what was going on. He'd called her after he checked out the second apartment, and told her about his new relationship with Jack.

"I knew it was going to happen," she said, "I could tell from the way you two looked at each other."

"Wow, thanks mom," he chuckled, "but I gotta tell you something."

"What is it, sweetie?"

"Well, I'm planning to stay here and get an apartment with Jack."

He waited for her to scold him, but it didn't happen.

"That's a wonderful idea, sweetheart," she implied, much to his surprise, "do you need any help getting a place?"

He smiled. He should've known she'd offer to help out.

"I am able to afford one of the apartments here, but I could use help getting furniture."

"Say no more, I'll search for some nice things online," she beamed, "then once you get a place tell me the address and I'll have it shipped over."

"Thank so much, mom," he sighed, chest full of gratitude, "you're the best."

"I know. Now go on and hurry to find a place. I'll talk to you later!"

He said his goodbyes and hung up the phone. Then he made his way back to campus, picking up some Thai take out along the way as a new excuse to give to Jack. He was absolutely giddy with anticipation at wanting to know how his plan will turn out in the end.

He got back and everything went well. Him and Jack ate their food while they played a few video games together. Then afterwards they studied a bit.

Mark also couldn't help smiling from time to time as he kept thinking about his secret plan.

He just knew that Jack was going to love it.

 

* * *

 

Mark found the right apartment soon enough. He was quite proud of himself as he signed the lease for it, agreeing to pay the $300 a month which covered everything but cable and internet. He'd have to get that stuff himself. Along with food, of course.

Finals were already finished, and everyone was getting ready to pack up since there was only a week left of college now. He called his mom immediately after he got the place, and she'd told him the furniture she'd gotten them would be there by the time they'd be out of college. So far everything was working out.

Mark got two keys made for the new apartment building, one for him and one for Jack. He grinned as he began planning a way to give the key to his Irish boyfriend.

Maybe put it in a small gift box? Yeah. That sounded like a good idea.

So that is exactly what he did the next day when he went to the store. He got a small box that was nice looking. It was black on the bottom with a green lid that had silver swirl-like designs on it. He thought it was good enough.

Later when he returned to campus, he sneaked into their bedroom and put the box in his book bag so that way Jack wouldn't find it easily. He never went through his things anymore.

Suddenly, his phone beeped as he got a text. He looked at it and saw it was from Jack and smiled.

_**Hey, I'll be a bit late tonight coming back. Gotta retake a test. -Jack** _

Mark was a bit surprised by that, but it's not like Jack was immune to failing tests.

_**Yeah, sure thing. I'll have food ready for when you get back! (: -Mark** _

_**Yay! I love your food haha. <3 -Jack** _

_**It's microwave food but thanks anyways lol. -Mark** _

_**It's still good! -Jack** _

Mark just shook his head and pocketed his phone. He had to get some things finished up himself, along with getting food made in time. Then he'd sit down with the Irishman to give him the box with the key in it.

Fucking hell he was excited!

So for a while he finished up his last two assignments he had that were easy enough. Just some algebra and computer stuff. Pretty simple, in his opinion that is. Then he checked the time and got out some stuff for chicken fajitas. He grabbed peppers, onions, chicken and seasoning mixing it together in a bowl.

Next he put it in the microwave for 10 minutes. Once it was cooked, he put them on tortillas and then added a dollop of sour cream before he folded them nicely and put the plates on the coffee table by the sofa. He also poured them each a glass of Dr. Pepper soda.

Once he got everything situated, he grabbed the little box with the key and put it in his jeans pocket. As soon as he did, he heard the dorm room's door open and close.

"I'm back and the food smells lovely!" He heard Jack's loud voice and grinned. This was it.

The brown eyed man walked out and smiled at his lover.

"Heh, thanks. I hope you'll like it."

"I'm sure I will."

They both sat down on the sofa and began to eat their fajitas. They talked about how their day went and when Mark couldn't take the wait any longer, he turned to his boyfriend with a giddy smile.

"Jack, can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Yeah, sure," he swallowed some of his food, "what's up?"

"Well, ya know how we talked about the end of the year that's coming up?" Jack nodded. "Yeah, well, I wanted to talk to you about that."

"Are we still agreed to Skyping every chance we get?" The Irishman looked a bit worried.

"Well, we won't have to. That is, if you accept my idea," he hinted.

His boyfriend frowned. "What do ya mean?"

Mark smiled as he pulled the box from his pocket and gave it to Jack. The smaller man looked confused as he opened it and saw the key.

"W-what's this?" Blue eyes looked at him, confusion and wonder mixed in them.

"It's a key," Mark spoke, flushing slightly, "to my new apartment."

"Are you ... askin' me to-"

"Move in with me? Yes, Jack, I am."

He saw many different emotions flicker across the Irishman's face. He saw happiness, love, worry, uncertainty, and many others. God, he hoped he would accept this. He didn't wanna have to be without him. Long distance sucked balls.

"I .. you really want me to stay here with you?"

Brown eyes looked at him as the younger man bit his lip anxiously. They were full of love.

"Yes, Jack, I really do."

Said man smiled and laughed softly before nodding his head eagerly.

"Yes. A million times, yes!"

Mark pulled him in and kissed him deeply at hearing those words. He'd never been happier in his life. They kissed for a good while before they pulled away, laughing giddily as they thought about how in just a few short days they'd be living together. In their own apartment with just them.

The black haired man began to tell him about the place, how nice it was and how cheap of a deal he got. He also said about how he'd get a nice job, and Jack agreed to also get one to split the rent. Mostly because they're still in college and a full-time job wouldn't work once summer was over.

Both young men finished their meals before they went to bed. That night, they made-out happily. Nothing sexual, just love.

Then together, they fell asleep in each others embrace, eager for their moving day to arrive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mark, you sneaky little bastard! Haha. Hope you all enjoyed this chapter. The next one will be the last!  
> Kudos and comments are appreciated, just don't be rude!
> 
> Thanks! :)


	10. Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mark and Jack are finally moved in together, and things couldn't be better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone. Sorry for the late update. I have been spending time with family for Thanksgiving weekend and the turkey also made me real lazy haha. I also think I might be getting a bit sick. But now the last chapter is up! Hope you all enjoy!

The move into their new apartment was nice. They got all the furniture inside, with the help of Bob and Wade, and then they all got some Chinese take-out.The apartment was very nice and modern looking with hard wood flooring. The living room was a decent size that was connected to the dining area, and had a half bathroom inside a door along the wall.

Then through the arch way was the kitchen that had nice white floor tiling, granite counters, oak wood cabinets, and a nice island counter in the middle. There was also a small storage area in the hallway where they stored the washer and dryer.

Next up the sleek spiral staircase was a nice hallway. On the left was a guest bedroom that was currently set up as a storage space. Then beside that room was another bathroom, this one full with a shower-tub, toilet, and a sink. Then on the right was the master bedroom where they had their things set up, connected to it was a walk in closet that they both shared.

All things considered, the place was very nice. It was so nice that Jack had been surprised at how _cheap_ the rent was when Mark told him the price. You definitely can't beat a bargain like that!

A couple weeks passed with them looking for jobs and settling in to their new place. Jack ended up getting a nice job at Wal-Mart in the technology department, which he was fine with. The pay was decent enough.

Then Mark had gotten himself a good paying job as a computer/software repair man at a local store in the town they lived in. Both of their jobs were also in walking distance, so they didn't need a car just yet. They could save up a bit before doing that.

But there was still something missing. The older man just couldn't think of what it was.

The idea came to him as he passed a store one day and looked at the sign. 

_Pet Supplies & Grooming Center._

That's it! They totally needed to get a pet for their new place, to finally finish giving it that home-y feel to it. They're landlord had even said that pets were allowed in the apartments. But he couldn't just go out and buy one just yet. He had to get Jack's opinion on it first.

So that night, he brought it up over dinner to the smaller man.

He sat quietly for a few minutes, just eating and listening to Jack talk about his day at work. He loved his job, especially when he helped parents get kids gifts for birthdays and such, helping them pick out the best video games or the best music players. He also enjoyed working with the techno gadgets that needed fixed.

When the other paused in his animated talking, he took his chance.

"Hey, babe," he began, "have you ever had a dog before?"

Blue eyes looked up at him.

"Well, yeah. Back home in Ireland we had this cute little dog named, Gizmo! She was _such_ a sweetheart," he smiled happily, "why do ya ask?"

"Oh, no reason in particular. I was just sorta thinking of possibly getting a pet is all." He shrugged as he looked into those baby blues.

Jack seemed to look a bit worried.

"Well, what about our work schedules? We'll be very busy. Even more so once school starts again."

"Ah, well my boss and I already talked about it," he explained, "he brings his dog into the shop with him all the time. He said if I ever need to, I can as well. His dog gets along well with other pets, so he doesn't mind."

The younger man nodded slowly. "Okay, well what about college?"

Mark thought for a few seconds before nodding.

"We can each take turns coming back home during our free periods and meal breaks. They're at least thirty minutes to an hour, so it'll give us plenty of time to take the dog out to the small park nearby here."

The Irishman sighed softly and began to think long and hard on it. That is until the half-Korean began with the sad puppy eyes and he gave in.

"Alright, alright! We can get a dog."

The older man whooped happily and together they both finished their meals then went to bed.

The next day they both had off work so they headed into town to the shelter to see if they could find a dog who needed a loving home first before going to a pet shop.

They walked through the shelter together looking at all the available pets. A cat would've been much easier, but Jack said he was slightly allergic to them so that wouldn't work out too well for him. As they kept going through the many different kennels Mark finally spotted one he absolutely adored.

She was laying down in her cage, white-cream fur being nicely groomed, and there was a slight sadness in her eyes. He could tell instantly that she was timid and laid-back, but knew that with enough love the Golden could easily be the happiest dog ever. He began looking at the tag attached to her cage.

_"Hello. My name is Chica and I'm a shy yet loving 1 year old pup._

_I would very much enjoy a home where I can play and be loved."_

He smiled at that and waved his boyfriend over to him. They looked at the sign a bit more, finding out that she's one of the few purebred dogs they had. Not that it mattered at all whether she was a mix or not, but most purebreds didn't end up in shelters. After looking things over a bit more, they both agreed that she'd be the perfect dog for them.

Together they signed and payed for a co-ownership of Chica and they were given the things she came with when dropped off at the shelter a little over a month ago. She had a cute pink bandanna collar, a chew toy, and a leash with a harness. They also purchased food and water bowls for her along with a large pet bed.

Then they left with Chica walking happily at their side as they headed home. Once they got there, they set everything up with her pet supplies and filled her bowls with food and water. The Golden began to timidly explore the house, but after a little while she warmed up to it and relaxed.

Mark sat down with Jack on the sofa and they began watching TV. The dog rested happily by their feet as they relaxed the rest of the night.

They couldn't have looked more like a family than they did at that moment.

 

* * *

 

After a while of having Chica, she was finally warmed up to the place along with Mark and Jack themselves.

She greeted them happily whenever they would come home from work, and the times when she went to work with Mark she played happily with the other dog there. His boss had a lovely female husky named Mocha, and the two dogs got along swimmingly.

So, due to her no longer being uncomfortable in any sort of way when at home, the two young men decided to go out on a date. It had been a while since they were on one together, so their next night off they left together for a nice bar & grill called Champs.

They both got some food, burgers and wings, along with some beer to wash it all down. Together they laughed and talked all night, having a fun night out. They finished their food, but had a bit more to drink afterwards. Soon enough it was rolling around 11:30pm, and it was time to get going.

"So, you ready to head back home?" Jack asked his boyfriend with a smirk, a certain look in his eyes.

Mark know that look. The Irishman always gave him that look when he wanted to have some  _fun._  The brown eyed man grinned as he quickly paid their bill and they left the bar & grill together. Both of them were a bit buzzed, but not enough to where they couldn't think of their choices.

Soon enough, they walked through their apartment door and were greeted by Chica. They quickly said hello to her, but after that things began to get heated real fast. It began with some passionate kisses on the mouth, that slowly moved to each others throats, and they began making their way to the bedroom they shared. Though they bumped into a few things along the way, along with slowly leaving a trail of clothes in their wake.

Shoes, socks, shirts and jeans lead in a path straight towards the queen sized bed. Both of them fell onto it in nothing but their boxers. Their heated make-out turned into a session of kissing, touching, and grinding against one another as they rolled around in the large bed.

Things began to get a little more intense, but before it went to far Jack put his hands on Mark's shoulders.

"W-wait, Mark, stop," he gasped in pleasure, "stop."

Mark looked at him worriedly. "What is it, babe?"

The Irishman bit his lip as he blushed. Slowly he looked up into the deep brown eyes.

"I .. I wanna go the full way tonight."

Mark's heart skipped a beat. Jack wanted to go all the way. To have sex.  _To make love._

"Are you sure, Jack?" He cupped his cheek in his hand.

"Yes, I am," he smiled, leaning into the touch.

The older man nodded once before he got into one of the nightstands, pulling out lube and a condom. Even when you're men, you still need protection.

Or at least, that's how Mark always thought of it anyways.

Once he got the items they needed, they picked up where they left off. They kissed deeply, running their hands over each others bodies. Both of them were deeply aroused, and being pressed together certainly made it worse. Or in their case, better.

Slowly they removed each other's boxers and ground their erections against one another fully nude. Mark felt amazing, as if he was on a high that wouldn't end until he felt some sort of relief. And oh, what relief he was going to get. He couldn't stop thinking about finally making love with his boyfriend. The cocky Irishman that he loved so dearly.

After a few more minutes of foreplay, Jack groaned at him to hurry the  _feck_ up. Mark just loved how his Irish accent thickened when aroused. It was _hot._

So he hurriedly opened the lube up and poured it onto his fingers. Then he slowly pushes one into the smaller man, beginning to work him open. Jack hissed at the slight burn, but it was a good type of burn. He felt nothing but pleasure as his boyfriend pumped his fingers inside him.

"Ah, feck," he groaned out. He watched with lust filled blue eyes as Mark pushed the last finger into him.

"Mm, liking this, babe?"

"Oh, shut up and just hurry," he complained as he pushed his hips down, trying to get those fingers to move within him.

Mark just chuckled deeply, amused at the Irishman's impatience. But he did as he was told, and began to work the fingers in and out of Jack.

He slowly, yet thoroughly, made sure that the blue eyed man was stretched good enough. Then, he gently curled his fingers when pushing back in.

"AH!" Jack's head tilted back in pleasure. "Feck, do that again!"

The slightly taller man just chuckled and did it once more for the other's pleasure. _Damn,_ the way the other man's body in front of him arched like that made him even more turned on than he already was. Quickly, he pulled his fingers out of his boyfriend, eager to get things going.

The younger groaned at the loss of the fingers. He looked up in time to see Mark tearing the condom packet open with his teeth, causing him to shiver with anticipation. Dear god, he was _definitely_ ready for this.

The half-Korean rolled the condom onto his erect cock, then added a bit of extra lube to make things easier. He leaned over the smaller man as he positioned himself at his entrance. Then, slowly, he began to push into him. He moaned out as he felt the tightness of his lover wrap around him. It was  _amazing._

Soon enough, he began a steady pace, pumping his hips back and forth. Mark groaned deeply at the feeling, Jack's legs wrapped around his waist and hands in his black hair. Together they moved in sync, letting their moans and panting mix together in the thick air around them. Their bodies shivered as a light sheen of sweat covered them, the air feeling cool against them. 

"Ah, Mark," Jack looked up at him, eyes full of love and lust, "more, please."

The older man swallowed thickly but nodded. He picked up the pace a bit, thrusting deeper into the smaller man beneath him. He groaned as he felt the Irishman pull at his black, wavy locks. He enjoyed having his hair pulled very much, and it only caused him to rock his hips a bit faster into the other man.

Mark then surprised Jack by reaching between them and began to stroke his dick in time with his thrusts. The blue eyed man gasped, moaning with pleasure as he moved his hips with his boyfriend. He was growing more and more heated as they went on, getting closer to the end.

Then, the half-Korean changed his angle just slightly.

"Ah!" Jack screamed, his back arching. "Feckin' _Christ!_ Ahh ... Mark, do it again!"

He grinned, knowing he'd found his boyfriend's sweet spot, and thrust into it a second time. The smaller man cried out in pleasure, gripping at Mark's hair and shoulder tightly. The older man knew he was getting closer to his climax. He leaned down to his ear.

"Come on, baby," he growled soflty, "let me see you cum."

With that, Jack couldn't hold back any longer. He came hard, calling out Mark's name as he did so. He rocked his hips, riding it out being lost in pleasure. As soon as it happened, it caused him to tighten around Mark's cock that was deep inside him. This made the brown eyed man grunt, and with a few more thrusts he too cumming and riding it out with his lover.

After they finished, they laid there together, panting heavily and looking into each other's eyes. They kissed deeply before pulling away. Slowly, Mark pulled out of his boyfriend, tossing the used condom out and then cleaning them both off with some tissues. After that, they fell into bed wrapped in each other's arms.

Mark smiled as he stared into Jack's deep blue eyes. His own chocolate ones full of love, and he knew the slightly shorter man felt the same.

"I love you, Jack."

"I love you too, Mark."

With that, they kissed and covered up being ready for sleep. Jack passed out almost instantly, head on his boyfriend's chest. But the older man didn't sleep just yet. He stared at the smaller man in his arms. He was finally feeling whole, complete, with the Irishman by his side in their bed, in their new apartment that they shared, with their new jobs, and with their new fluffy family member Chica.

They were no longer roommates like that had been in the start of everything. Now they were something more, something better. They were now a family, a couple, and as time goes on they would continue to be that for as long as they could. And it would only get better from then on.

Mark smiled happily as he finally let himself drift off to sleep, with only one thought left in his mind.

_We're finally home._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's the end of this story. I hope you all liked it! I loved all the wonderful comments and kudos given along the way. Made me feel so happy. I'm proud of this story, and hope to do more Septiplier stuff in the future. Hurray!
> 
> Thanks for reading! :)


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